Reviews tagging 'Death'

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

21 reviews

calamitywindpetal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, and Homophobia

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Fatphobia

cadystanton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Outing, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Abandonment, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

megelizabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

This was a book that really crept up on me. It's dense, heavy, slow, and incredibly brutal, and it was only towards the end that I properly started to realise just how brilliant it is. It's overwhelmingly about loneliness, and explores that - as well as other themes - so, so well. The characters are incredibly well-developed for a story set mostly over one weekend, and by the end my heart was just completely aching. I just know that this is a book I will not forget. I do wish that there had been some nuance to the way that animal exploitation is portrayed, but otherwise I loved this so much that I don't feel I can give it less than the full five stars.

I always encourage checking trigger warnings, but with this one I would do so even more heavily than usual - there is a LOT of really heavy content in this one and it's definitely one to only go into if you really feel you're in a good place to handle it. If you do feel able to cope, though, I truly cannot recommend this enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Animal death, Rape, Blood, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer and Ableism

mourtarymaggots's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

stierwood's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Everything about this book made sense. It had me thinking about whiteness in communication and friendships, and Wallace was a character exploration i had never read anything like. At first i was like ok, enough with the birds, but by the end i feel like i got it. Just really freaking astute, gutting, challenging, everything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Racism, Mental illness, Homophobia, Death, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Rape, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, and Physical abuse

orireading's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Alcohol

shreyshrey's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

Nails a really specific feeling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Vomit

yavin_iv's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Racism

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, and Vomit

Minor: Violence

amberinbookland's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Racism, Homophobia, Cancer, Death, and Death of parent

hannahmayreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 This is a beautiful book, but hauntingly so.

I read a decent number of campus novels as part of my degree, but none were like this. It feels modern and relevant in ways the ones on my reading lists never were while maintaining that essential rarefication of academic life. Taylor however brings 'real life' to this cosseted world.

It is written with nuance and sensitivity to the complexities and contradictions of the characters, and nothing is just for the shock of it. The tone is precise and observant, the narrative is detail orientated. That description also sums up Wallace rather well. Despite this precision, it feels like the novel (and Wallace) could slip away at any moment - it is fragile, almost liquid (as the Guardian observed). I felt like we got to know Wallace intimately - we are after all privy to his innermost thoughts and the workings of his mind. And yet for all the intimacy remains entirely unknowable, an enigma.

To put it succinctly, this is the book I wanted A Little Life to be. Taylor has written a novel that is deeply intimate but is balanced where A Little Life wasn't by its clinical narrative. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence